NIA Women Scientists Advisors (WSA)

WSA Principals

NIA WSA Postdoctoral Members

Luisa Baca, M.D.

Past WSA Members

Date	Member
1993-1995	Michele Evans, M.D.
1993-1995	Nikki Holbrook, Ph.D.
1993-1995	Cheryl Grady, Ph.D.
2005-2009	Francesca Bosetti, Ph.D.
2005-2010	Cathy Wolkow, Ph.D.
2010-Present	Lori Beason-Held, Ph.D.
2011-2013	Yie Liu, Ph.D.
2012-2018	Henriette van Praag, Ph.D.
2018-2020	Isabel Beerman, Ph.D.
2019-Present	Nicole Noren Hooten, Ph.D.
2020-Present	Payel Sen, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Members

Date	Member
2014	Jess Curtis, Ph.D.
2015	Sylvie Raver, Ph.D.
2015-2016	Anna McCarrey, Ph.D.
2015-2016	Chinmoyee Maharana, Ph.D.
2015-2016	Sarah Mitchell, Ph.D.
2015-2018	Yuyoung Joo, Ph.D.
2015-2016	Min Ju Kang, Ph.D.
2017-2020	Becca McPerson, Ph.D.
2018-2019	Cristina Banuelos, Ph.D.
2018-2021	Marta Woloszynoska-Fraser, Ph.D.
2019-2021	Sharmin Hossain, Ph.D.
2020-present	Perla Moreno Castilla, Ph.D.
2022-present	Jamila Asgar, Ph.D.
2022-present	Luisa Baca, M.D.

History of the Women Scientists Advisors

In 1991 as a director of NIH, Dr. Bernadine Healy established a Task Force to examine the status of intramural women scientists.

In November 1992, the Task Force issued a final report recommending that each IC have a Woman Scientist Advisor (WSA). In 1993, the NIH WSA Committee was formed with representatives from each IC. Click here to learn more about the WSA.

Mission of the Women Scientists Advisors

The mission of the NIA Women Scientists Advisors (WSA) is to foster achievement and support career development of women scientists, and to promote an equitable and diverse scientific community.

NIA & NIDA WSA Events

In collaboration with the WSA of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), we host a variety of events each year.

We host an annual Winter Tea to promote communication between women scientists from different laboratories and institutes.
We give annual Achievement and Travel Awards for Excellence in Scientific Research which are presented to outstanding postdocs, staff scientists and investigators.
We sponsor a ‘Successful Women in Science’ discussion series centered around career trajectories in science.
We host a ‘Women in Science’ Seminar Series where exemplary postdocs and staff scientists are invited to share their research with the institutes.
We sponsor an annual panel discussion about careers in science from a woman’s perspective.
We invite successful women from the local community to talk about their careers. Past guests have included Carla Hayden, CEO of the Enoch Pratt Public Library; Julia Marciari-Alexander, Executive Director of the Walters Art Museum; Dr. Lena Wen, Baltimore City Health Commissioner; Dr. Cathy Deangelis, Editor-in-Chief Emerita of JAMA; Dr. Ellen Stofen, Director of Smithsonian's Air & Space Museum; and Melissa Hyatt, Baltimore County Police Chief.